The Processing of Oolong Tea
The processing of oolong tea requires a partial oxidation. After the leaves are harvested, they are laid out to dry for about eight to twenty four hours.
Then the leaves are tossed in baskets in order to bruise the edges of the leaves. This bruising only causes the leaves to partially oxidize because only a portion of the enzymes are exposed to air.
The leaves are then steamed in order to neutralize the enzymes and stop any further oxidation. Oolong teas have varying degrees of oxidation with some closed to black teas and others closer to green teas.
After that, a final drying takes place. From there, it goes off to be sorted, graded, and packaged.
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